I own nothing but my character and somewhat this story.

"Perfect moment…"

We were so close, holding each other tightly and I was staring deep into his beautiful eyes. He was more beautiful in that moment to me than I think I had never noticed before, just like I had never noticed how much I loved him before this night, before right now. I didn't even care for the drunk and partying spirits that were around this moment with us, they were gone in my mind, fading into the background as they weren't important to me, Sandy and this moment were the only things that mattered. And I was so damn close to having that moment too, that moment that I had been striving for even I don't know how long. When of course the universe decided to put a rain check on that and interrupted that moment we could have had together.

BANG!

I looked back to the side room where Bunny was being kept and taken care of, raising an eyebrow in confusion and worry. Looking back to Sandy I tried to give him the most sincere look of apology that I could, but he still seemed pretty annoyed about something. I was instantly worried that he was annoyed at me and pulled away from him, going to walk to the side room to see what was wrong. He grabbed my hand before I fully pulled away, and gave me a small smile to tell em that he wasn't agitated with me, before following me into the side room as well, the both of us doing our best to convince the partying spirits around us that nothing was going on, and to continue having a good time.

Sandy was the first to open the door, and the sight was sort of pitiful. Bunny had apparently passed out on the floor; the bucket he had been… using was thankfully still upright, but the chair that he had been sitting on was tipped over, which I figured must have been the reason for the loud noise as they were standing on a polished wooden floor. Tooth looked pretty freaked out and was looking pretty sick herself as she tried to shake Aster awake. I walked carefully over and gently pulled her away from him for Sandy and North (who burst into the room not a moment after us, a little too loudly of course, but thankfully none of the spirits in the other room seemed to notice that either,) to take care of and help. I spoke calmly to her, trying my best to get her to tell me what happened, which seemed to work well enough as she eventually gave me an answer.

"He just passed out on the floor, right after he finished puking, is…Is he going to be okay?" Sandy and North helped their fellow passed out Guardian onto a couch that was in the corner of the room as she asked her question, the both of us watching their movements just in case anything else happened before I continued comforting her as soon as we were both sure that nothing else could possibly happen to make this situation any worse, or weirder. She accepted my words very easily, which I was thankful for as I hated admitting it, but I wanted to get out of this situation as fast as I could since I wasn't really that familiar with most of the people that were in this room. Especially the woman I was comforting, since the last time I saw her was over 100 years, or more, ago and it wasn't in the best circumstances anyway. But still, I stayed and tried my best to make her feel better, giving her as much information I could no why he would pass out, sadly from my own experience of course.

"Aster's going to be fine Tooth; he's just exhausted from all that… throwing up. He'll wake up and have the biggest hangover in the world, but he'll be fine." The female Guardian nodded her head in understanding and looked a little relieved, but of course was still worried as she left my side and stayed by the passed out Bunny spirit. I walked to Sandy, who seemed a little annoyed still, and grabbed his hand, leaning over and whispering into his ear once I was completely sure that the other Guardians weren't watching us. I was still desperate to apologize for the fact that our moment had been interrupted this.

"I'm still sorry Sandy, I didn't mean to let your hopes up," The Golden Guardian squeezed my hand before leading me out of the room as we were both sure that Aster was going to be fine. I was a little more than curious as to where he was leading me as we left the room the other spirits were partying in as well. We didn't stop walking until we were outside, at the only grass covered garden in the whole of the North Pole. Elief wasn't that far away from where we had stopped, so I was a little side tracked in my thoughts as Sandy was apparently telling me something. As soon as I noticed that my boyfriend had been trying to talk to em and I immediately apologized and asked for him to repeat what he had said. He looked a little irritated at that; though of course he understood when he saw the marble structure I had been looking towards only a second ago, though he of course had the decency to not say anything of it and instead repeated what he had said before.

Clover, you don't need to apologize for anything. I understand that you want to wait for a perfect moment for us, and I agree with you on that thought. But, I don't believe that that moment just before was something you wanted to do, or was all that perfect really. And I hate to think that you felt as though you had to do it because you were being pressured into doing that when you don't feel ready for it. That is something that I don't want you to feel, or think. And if you feel as though you aren't ready, or want some time, then I understand. This is why I think that, we should take this slow Clover.

Damn it why did he have to be so understanding and sweet!? Now I was left to stand there and wish that I wasn't so cowardly to just kiss him right then and there for saying that. And instead all I could do was numbly nod my head along and give him a small of reassurance and gratitude for what he had said. He kissed my forehead and cheek, his hands squeezing mine all the while before he pulled away and gestured if I wanted to come back inside. I softly shook my head and looked back to the marble structure behind us as a reason for why I wanted to stay a little while longer.

Nothing was more was said by him as he seemed to understand well enough, and I felt, since I didn't look behind me, his hand slowly pull away from mine before it was gone completely. A second afterwards however, I felt a sudden warm weight that wrapped around me completely and made me feel more comfortable in the biting cold temperature. I looked down and saw a rather large orange (obviously sand created,) coat covering me and turned back to my boyfriend, who had already gone inside. I smiled before snuggling more into the warm sand coat and walked over to where Elief was waiting for me.

"Hey again, sorry I haven't been in a while, some big things came up. But I'm here now," I sat on a marble chair that had been set up not long after North had noticed that I wasn't going to stop seeing him at all, which was something I was incredibly thankful for. I gently brushed the snow away from the same colored rock before sitting myself, looking over at the words that were engraved on grave in front of me, talking to it as I always did, as though he were still here, sitting across from me and hearing and listening to my small problems of my life.

"I'm sorry by the way, for not being here sooner like I promised. I will visit again next week, especially since there is a lot I want to tell you that has happened lately. Most of it has to do with Sandy, you remember him right? He was here with me the last time I visited," And that was true, he was here with me and holding my hand as I blabbered to Elief about the Patch House and all of the repairs that had been happening at the time. Sandy even said a few words to the marble structure himself, and what he said, I remembered being so happy with his words as of course at the time I thought he was being so sweet and at the time thought that he was just being caring, though of course now, looking back at the wording of it, made me only love him more.

Elief, I promise now that we're together, I won't leave her alone like she was before. I won't let her be hurt the way she was ever again, I care too much now to let that happen ever again. I made a mistake and left her alone to be hurt for too long because I didn't want to listen to her, didn't want to hear her out because I was too hurt by her being gone for something that I couldn't stop. But I promise not to do that ever again, to support her and care for her for as long as I can.

"He did keep his promise Elief; he took care of me and cared for me all the same. And, because of that, and everything he is, I realized that… I love him. I really do, and I just… Of course I realized this just as he decided that he wanted to take everything slow. Now I'm even more lost than I was all those years I was alone, since now I don't know what to do, where to go and more importantly, how to feel." I was hugging myself a little closer, feeling the warmth of the coat on my still cold skin, closing my eyes to imagine that it was actually Sandy hugging me close and giving me comfort as I whispered to Elief, but of course I was speaking mostly to myself.

"What should I do?"

"Well dear, firstly I think you need some advice," I was pretty sure that my head had never whipped around so fast before in my life to see who had interrupted such a private moment of mine. Standing about a few meters away from me in the snow grass (which he looked pretty uncomfortable in standing in as he was barefoot, for some reason,) was a kind of tall man in a white as snow suit and pink tie. His hair was blond and was untidy and sticking up in places, like most people in the modern times liked to do, and also seemed to have brown steaks in it in places. To be honest, he was pretty good looking in my opinion, but if anyone asked, the blush on my face was because of the cold and nothing else entirely. He was sipping on a wine glass that looked as though it both never ended and had an uncountable number of cherries in it. I stuttered over my words for a moment as I thought over what to say with such a good looking, but at the same strange character suddenly appearing out of nowhere.

"Erm… who are you, and why are you barefoot?" I gestured to the lack of shoes on his feet, to which he finally seemed to notice and raised an eyebrow at as he noticed himself, before snapping his fingers, and letting the uncovered and cold flesh of his feet with pink converses and looked back to me, smiling a little brighter as one would be once their feet had stopped freezing. He took out and twirled one of the cherries form the glass as he replied to me other question, slowly waking closer as he continued to talk, and by the time he was finished he was standing in front of me and holding out the cherry for me to take.

"Well Red, can I call you Red? My name's Amor, but people call me Cupid sometimes, not something I'm fond of, but still nicknames happen. Anyway, I'm the spirit of love, but mostly I like to give advice more than just delivering the love myself. That's more of a last resort for me. But still, you do want me to help you?" I smiled, took the offered cherry and popped it into my mouth, which he took as a sign that it was okay to sit down beside me, that I didn't mind all that much so I just let it happen as he looked to the marble structure across from us, smiling at the engraved writing as I had been doing just a moment beforehand, whispering some words of his own to the grave, to Elief.

"Hey kid, I'm here to help Clover so don't worry," I watched him for that small moment before he looked back at me and started with his advice that he promised me, his voice a little more knowledgeable and intelligent on such a topic that I really wasn't expecting, even though he did claim to be a spirit of love. I listened to what he was saying intently, soaking up everything he was saying, since it seemed to make so much more sense than it did before. Though of course there was the fact that what he was saying sounded so easy and refreshing, but doing what the words said I should was much more difficult.

"Well, first of all you should tell the Guardian how you feel Red. And don't give me that look, I saw the both of you on that dance floor, and all caught up in each other like people in love do and yes your both in love, I know it when I see it. I also know since he told you that you should both take it slow that you might be a little cautious to say anything, but I'm telling you now, he's only saying that because he's unsure of how you feel and what you want from the relationship you both have together. Just tell him how you feel, and he'll do the same, then you can both be happy, you see?"

I nodded enthusiastically and smiled in his direction as I didn't miss the mentions the spirit made to the fact that Sandy apparently felt the same for me as I felt for him, and couldn't help but feel as though I were on cloud nine, and was unlikely to come down form that for a little while longer, especially since I didn't want to. Nothing in the world could really wipe that smile on my face as I thanked the love spirit for clearing the way for me, and making everything easier to understand than it was only a few moments ago.

"No thanks needed Red, it's my job after all," He smiled and stretched his thin arms a bit before standing up again, taking the wine glass he had placed in the space between us in his hand again before saying his last words of goodbye, eating one of the many cherries and started to make his way back inside the warmth of Santoff Claussen. Though of course his last words were something he stressed completely as we both knew that it was the most important thing that I needed to do in order for his advice to really mean something and work at all.

"Remember Red, you have to tell him, oh and one more thing," He stopped before actually going back inside, and surprised me by punching my arm. It wasn't a really forceful punch, but it was certainly annoying as he was wearing a heart shaped ring on his hand at the time. I hissed in pain and rubbed my arm as I glared at the love spirit, who was holding his hands up in surrender as he gave his explanation on why he did that. Though of course the explanation wasn't all that good as his previous advice, but I took it all the same as he then walked off, back to the party that seemed completely to me as though it were waiting for him since he left.

"Sorry Red, but I don't have my bow and arrows on me right now, and you already beat me to it, but I had to do something, like I said, it's my job," I was left on my own for a while, looking back to the marble structure that was Elief. It was only a few moments after he left that I noticed that I still hadn't gotten an answer on why he was barefoot in the first place. Still, I figured that it would just be something that I would never get to know, a mystery of the universe and all that. I looked back to Elief and smiled before mumbling a little under my breath to the grave.

"Weird guy isn't he? Still, I could cut my hand slapping those cheekbones," I giggled before staying silent for a few more moments, just letting myself think over the advice I was given, and what I was going to do next. I was interrupted from my mulling by feeling another presence not that far away from me. I looked back, about to ask Amor if he had forgotten something or had something else to tell me, only to find that it wasn't Amor standing there, but actually North, who looked a little more than just exhausted, which was strange as I hadn't been away from him that long, and he was perfectly fine last I saw him, even if he was caring after an unconscious Aster.

"I'll see you again real soon Elief, I promise, and I'll have more to talk about," I stood from my seat and walked over to North, wondering why he had found solace, (which I was certain that was what he was doing, as he looked that tired out,) outside of his own home. Then of course I wondered where the Yetis and Elves were, since last I saw them they were waiting for the arrivals of all of the invited spirits, so I had to assume that they were off somewhere else, hopefully the Yetis were keeping the Elves form the drunken antics of the other spirits. The Jolly Guardian gave me the best grin he could manage, before finally asking for the reason he was out here in the first place.

"Clover, I vas just looking for you, see… Aster's still unconscious and the other guests are starting to leave a little earlier than ve expected and ve don't know vhat to do with him and Tooth doesn't vant to get thrown up on and she already has all her vork piling up on her and-" I rolled my eyes as he spoke, but was respectable enough to make sure he didn't see it before I cut him off so I didn't get too much information that I really wasn't all that interested in. I spoke quickly to get the situation quickly done and over with since I really was cold and wanted to go inside to the warmth, even if there were still some drunk spirits in there.

"So you want me and Sandy to help take him home?" North raised an eyebrow at the fact that I had included the Golden Guardian into this. Since he had made no mention of it, but it also seemed to only add more of a smile onto his face as what he had figured out at the beginning of the night seemed to come back to him and he only answered by nodding his head and gesturing for him to come with him, back inside Santoff Claussen. I gave a little look back behind me to Elief, before following him inside, him having the same respect as Sandy had before hand by not mentioning it as we walked back through the halls of the North Pole, the orange sand coat that I had gotten use to being around me suddenly breaking down and disappearing altogether.

I made a small sound of disappointment at the coat being gone, but all the same I got over it pretty quickly as I followed him into the side room where Aster was apparently still unconscious and waiting for me and Sandy to take home. The Sandman himself was busy helping the Yetis clear the room that had been used by the other spirits, giving me a small smile as he saw me enter back in and followed after me and North after the Jolly Guardian had gestured for him to follow us back to the side room. Sandy complied and we walked into Tooth flittering about the place in worry while Bunny was almost drooling on the seat he was still slouching in. Unfortunately I couldn't hold in my laughter before I could help it, and sniggered a small bit at the sight of the Easter Guardian passed out on the couch.

North gave me a disapproving look, but of course I could tell that he was a little amused by the sight as well, just the smallest bit of course. Sandy was looking in the other direction, trying to hold back a gaggle of silent giggles himself in order to avoid the disproving look of the Jolly Guardian. Tooth hadn't noticed of course, since she was still flying above our heads and muttering worriedly to herself about teeth, the rotten scoundrel that was alcohol and how it ruins molars and such. The head Guardian decided to ignore the antics of both me and Sandy while he tried to calm Tooth down and tell her that Bunny was going to be fine, and that he was still just unconscious.

Meanwhile, Sandy and I eventually got over the sight of the unconscious drooling Bunny and walked over to help carry him home. Sandy of course manipulated a sand cloud and helped me dragged him onto it, but of course my attention was diverted when I looked up at the clock, and saw that it was almost the new year. I nudged my boyfriend, who did give me an annoyed look, until he noticed that I was pointing to the time and tried his best to get the attention of the other, awake Guardians, but of course North was too busy trying to calm down the freaked out Tooth to notice him. After a few seconds I figured that Sandy's wasn't going to get their attention in time, so I got it for him instead.

"Hey! It's almost next year!" They looked over at me, then the clock after I yelled, and apparently that, of all things, seemed to calm down the female Guardian as she and North watched the time with as it counted down. Bunny was still unconscious of course, so he had the misfortune of missing this moment with us as the New Year drew closer and closer with every click of the moving hand. I reached out and held Sandy's hand again, not caring if the two now more attentive Guardians saw it, or how close how I was leaning towards him, or how gently he held my hand in return, his thumb brushing carefully against my knuckles as the time drew nearer and nearer.

10…

I wanted to say what Amor advised I should, to let the truth out to him, the others in the room be damned as I just wanted to get this out to him, to hear what I hoped was true, what Amor had said was true, in reply. But of course I was not just a coward and afraid, but unsure if what Amor had said, was completely true, or if I should take the words he had said into consideration since I wasn't completely sure if he even was a real love spirit. That might have just been me being as paranoid as I possibly could be, and still I knew Amor was right when he said that I should tell him, after all, I felt already as though I couldn't keep it in and was about to burst from the truth I was holding in.

9…

Words caught in my throat, as though I were now choking me, stopping me and halting me despite their intention to be released into the world, the intention for the main object of my love to hear. There was nothing that seemed good enough to say, and anything that could be point blank enough for him to understand seemed to frightening for me to use as I still was as much of a coward as always when it came to telling the truth, to letting the words flow out, instead of getting caught in my throat like they were at that moment.

8…

What if he didn't feel the same? What if Amor was wrong anyway? I would make a fool of myself for being so open, so point blank, in front of not only him, but the other Guardians as well.

7…

Damn it, damn it why did have to be so difficult? Why was it so hard to say? It was the truth, why should I care of what they think? I was too difficult, too scary, and too real.

6…

What was wrong with me? Why couldn't I just say what I felt?

5…

No, I was going to say it, damn the embarrassment, damn the others and most certainly, damn my fears.

4…

"Sandy…" He looks away from the clock and to me with such expedience that it stumbled my words again, more than I already didn't need to help me get this out, to let it out and be free with myself, and hopefully, be free with him at last. His eyes were still beautiful, still glowing and shinning in the reflective light of the fireplace not that far away, (the North Pole had still not joined the rest of the world in the use of electricity,) as he waited for me to continue. So patient with me, even when I was being foolish and cowardly with my words of truth for him and him alone.

3…

"I..."

2…

"I just…"

1…

"Happy New Year!" The two Guardians behind us shout, taking his attention away from me as he smiled to the others, their shouting rousing the unconscious Bunny to sit up a small bit, before he fell down onto the softness of the sand cloud beneath him, except this time snoring loudly. While this calmed Tooth down, since she now had the confirmation that he was going to be okay, I was a little annoyed, since it also threw me off and I was again lost in what I was going to say. Sandy turned back to me not a second afterwards (again, much faster than I ever remembered him doing before,) and waited for a moment before letting sand words forming over his head.

What were going to tell me Clover?

"I-... Never mind, Happy New Year," I smiled to him and walked back to the Guardian, the whole time making a mental note to myself that as soon as I got home I was going to hit my head against the wall with rapid succession. Sandy said his goodbyes to the other Guardians, since it was apparent that we were now leaving Santoff Claussen. I didn't really say any goodbyes myself (I was too busy ranting in my mind at how much of a coward I was,) but I did manage a small wave goodbye to them both before following my boyfriend out and back to where we had first entered the North Pole. A sand plane was created not that long afterwards; with an extra part in the back for the passed out Bunny too stay. I buckled him in so he wouldn't fall out while we were flying. I sat back down next to my boyfriend (that never stopped weirding me out, in a good way,) and kissed his cheek before we finally took off through the ice cavern loopedy loops, and across the wooden boardwalk before finally breaking free into the sky.

Tonight was not ending in the way I really wanted it to, but at the same time it didn't end on a bad note altogether. I did, for example, find out from a certain love spirit (that I doubted for the sake of the fact that I was a paranoid coward that liked to run away from telling the truth when the time came for it,) that it was possible that Sandy might love me like I did him. That thought alone lightened me for the night, since the possibility was better than thinking that he didn't at all, which I nearly did not that long ago.

He wasn't looking to me as this went on, more at the skies in front of us as we flew to the home of the Easter Guardian, which was currently muttering something about carrots and dancing eggs under his breath. I tried to ignore it, but I did let a giggle slip whenever he was a little too loud in his mutterings, the Sandman himself was trying not to laugh, especially when he was supposed to be focusing on our destination more than anything else. Eventually the Island heads that so reminded me of the times that I and Jack went down there to practically torture the Bunny with annoyance whenever we got the chance.

Now that I thought about it, again it had been a while since I last saw the frost spirit, which I did feel terrible over, since the last we spoke was now over twenty years ago. I hoped that there wouldn't be another hundred year gap between the two of us, as I wanted everything to be back to the way it was, me and him pranking the other spirits and Bunny, laughing and having a good time. No strange gaps in our seeing each other, no disappearing for long periods of time, just hanging out like we use to. I didn't even remember the birthdays we had set up for each other all those years ago; it had been too long and was lost with time.

My heart broke often whenever I thought over him being alone, at the age he always seemed to be stuck in, he didn't need to be alone like he was. But for some reason, whenever I tried to convince him that he could stay with Sandy or at least find some kind of home, he would find a way to change the subject, and me being the person who hated truthful confrontation, would go with it until the next opportunity came up, and then rinse and repeat. I wanted the best for him, but I never seemed to exercise that want when I could and obviously needed to. Someday I knew that this was going to turn back on me, and I would face that reckoning with the guilt I had now, unless I did something, unless I tried to at least do more of an effort to be more productive n his spirit life, and try to help him with more of the previously stated effort.

But first, I needed to find him in order to do this. Why I was suddenly getting the need to hunt this poor frost spirit down was not hidden from me, as I was more than intelligent to figure that out. I was doing this for my own reasons, since I figured if I was truthfully open and persuasive with him, that I could do the same with Sandy about my feelings. Sure, it was a selfish reason, but I was comforted in the thought that at least I would be helping Jack in some small way, or maybe in a big way, it depended on how much of an effort I gave really.

The plane landed on the island and we exited, the Easter Guardian being carried out with us on a golden cloud as we walked to a familiar hole in the ground. I looked back to my boyfriend, gave a quick smile, before jumping down, yelling out in excitement as I fell down further and further through the tunnel until finally I landed back down on the grass of the Easter Warren. As I got back to my feet and looked around the nature filled home of the Easter Bunny, noting to myself how it hadn't really changed all that much over the time since last I was here.

Sandy and the snoring Bunny followed not that long afterwards, and I followed him as he led me to where Bunny apparently slept. Sandy laid him down on his bed, which was actually a rather large purple flower, the petals apparently meant to be used as a blanket as Sandy used them to tuck him in. Really the sight of my boyfriend tucking the snoring bunny was too adorable to take that I had to go outside before I squeed like a little girl all over again. The Egg Statues were milling about the small alcove that made up Bunny's room, waiting patiently for their leader to come out, and of course they wouldn't know that he was eventually going too reappear, just with a raging hangover.

Only moments later, Sandy followed out after me and took my hand to lead me out to the exit from this beautiful place. Which was really more necessary than I previously thought, as I was too busy taking in the familiar, but still beautiful scenery that I hadn't seen in many years. I was however, unwilling to stick around for the Bunny to wake up, even if he was still in his hangover stage, since I knew that he was more than likely to ask me after some things that I was unwilling to answer, such as where I had been over the years I disappeared, since I remembered that that was something that both he and Tooth never got to know about, thanks to both North and Sandy promising that they would never tell anyone else about what had happened to me. I knew that the Easter Guardian disliked to be left out of anything, or lied to.

So I let Sandy move me out from the Warren, despite the part of me that wanted to stay and admire it that much more, since I had never really seen this at night, and the flowers around us seemed to glow a soft yellow and green in the dark, showing us the pathways that should have been hidden in the darkness. We walked amongst the glowing flowers, listening to the gentle swaying of the trees and bushes around us as it made me feel even more relaxed in such a wonderful place, even if it was owned by somebody who was still not really in my good books all that much.

We ended up back out into the night sky of the world above, the stars twinkling down at us like further beacons in the sky to tell us that we were back above the beautiful place below. I took a deep breath as the wind swirled around us, causing my soft yellow dress to move about every so often. I blushed a little, but it wasn't that bad since it never flew up above my knees or anything like that. Sandy also didn't seem to notice it either, or maybe he was trying not to and was looking the other way altogether. I sat down on the grass beneath our feet, the skirt of my dress flittering around me as I sat down, and it only took a small tug on the Guardian's hand for him to join me.

The night passed us by as slowly as our relationship was apparently going to go from then on, and that did upset me, since of course it happened as soon as I was absolutely certain of how I felt of him. But all the same, despite the fact that I was too damn much of a coward to tell him at this moment, it did manage to give me time to work on that cowardliness and at the same time to help another old friend of mine while in the process of that. I had to do this now and no later, which meant as soon as I got home and said goodbye to my boyfriend for the night, I was going to go and find Jack Frost.

For his sake and selfishly enough, my own as well.

Please review, constructive criticism always welcome.